EYES WIDE OPEN
Ranger POV
Chapter 7
oOoOo
Stephanie slept through the night once again. It was a somewhat restless sleep, but thankfully nightmare free. She remained on her back most of the night, though, by morning she was snuggled into my body. I smiled indulgently. That's when I realised, her arm had somehow slipped out of its sling. We haven't defined our relationship. It's just happening. I like this so much. I crave it. I want more. Secretly, I love it.
A man could get used to this. And why not? Suddenly, I had an epiphany. I could kick myself. It was that moment of clarity, compounded by the fear of losing her, that I decided to change my stance on relationships. No more holding her at arm's length. Going by her comments and vehemence, there was no more Morelli to contend with. Things were about to change, dramatically. Stephanie was going to be a part of my life, if she'll have me, an important and vital part. But … I didn't want to appear to take advantage of her on the rebound, when her guard might be down.
While Steph had her shower, my hormones were rampant, visualising a wet and soapy body in my shower, wishing I could join her. I had jokingly, half serious, half hopeful, offered my assistance in the shower. I dared not say my services! Down boy! She smiled with a blush. I said I had Ella on standby. She politely declined but allowed me to brush and braid her hair afterwards. She crooned and groaned delightfully.
I chuckled and answered her stunned look of surprise simply. "Sisters. I had lots of practice."
After a hearty breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes, à la Ella, Stephanie changed and prepared to come downstairs. She changed into her Rangeman uniform with some help from me. She opted for a sports bra which was ideal for her recovery and the new routines in the gym. Her bruises were not so stark against her chest but clearly marked in line with where the seatbelt held her firmly in place. Her eyes, still quite dark, looked startlingly blue in contrast.
Initially, she was a bit nervous about going down, clutching my hand for strength. The bruising was definitely more obvious.
"You'll be fine, Babe. The guys already know about the car accident. They are concerned for you, but also so proud of your bravery," I reassured her, with an extra squeeze.
As the elevator opened the fifth floor instantly hushed. Hal was first to approach her.
"Hey Steph. After our surveillance shift, I was all set to get a posse and string someone up!" He grinned at her. "Ranger's email confirmed otherwise. But I have to confess, I was more than a tad disappointed. Good to see you, Steph. So proud of you. You are amazing."
Hal gave her a gentle hug.
"Chica. I was so ready to go with Hal. I had been sharpening my knives in readiness." Hector remarked with a cheeky smirk, kissing her cheek gently. "Are you alright?" She nodded.
Moving into the conference room for the 0800 meeting, still holding my hand, I led her to sit beside me, on my right. As she walked in, her Merry Men all stood and clapped, making comments of praise and congratulations. It made her blush a little while also making her relax, especially at their acceptance.
"Beautiful, you are definitely living proof that you are our Wonder Woman."
"Hooah!"
Lester's compliment made her blush yet also hold her head up high, even with the soft cervical collar.
"Wear those bruises as a badge of honour," Tank assured her. "We are just so astounded that you had no broken bones. Your defensive driving saved your life."
What he didn't say was that Al discovered that her brakes failed at the last moment, but she had done enough to avoid a worse impact. We will let her know shortly, but now was not the time. Trying to convince her to use a better, safer vehicle will possibly be a bone of contention. Somehow, I think her crash encounter might make her reconsider her stance on using a Rangeman vehicle. Hal has been her partner, that will continue, once she is cleared for field work, which will be more than a few weeks. Well, that's if she wants to continue. We will allow her to dictate that in consultation with sound medical advice. Her other saving grace was that with the lanes merging and the slower speed for crossing the bridge at 25mph, the impact was likely lessened.
First things first however. I would like to offer her an updated working contract here at Rangeman while she is recovering and doing her physiotherapy sessions, but that's already covered under our Rangeman Health Benefits policy. Bobby has already consulted with the hospital orthopaedic surgeon about the best plan for her recovery. Perhaps she will consider working more at Rangeman, maybe even full-time, and relinquish her Bonds Office connection. It's something I'd like to discuss with her.
Hector has already set up her cubicle with another monitor so she can do multiple searches. Tank ordered a more ergo-dynamic chair. Ella has arranged for extra heat packs and ice packs for her RICER – Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation and, hopefully not, Referral. The couch in my office is ideal for that. Ella has even organised a comfortable silk pillow case in addition to the second set of pillows Bobby organised.
Bobby warned that she will be quite fatigued in the first stages, so her need for rest, as well as stimulation, is essential. It's all about balance. The choice will be hers. But nothing too strenuous for the first two weeks Bobby asserted. Even the blue screens will irritate her eyes, no matter that the brightness can be dimmed. Nothing that will give her eye strain. Limited viewing time is recommended while her eyes and the concussion are recovering.
After the meeting, we drove to Morrisville PD to make her statement. Deliberately avoiding the other bridge, I crossed the Delaware River using the toll bridge. Ella had given her a large pair of sunglasses to avoid the intense glare outside.
Tank, Stephanie and I walked in, all wearing our Rangeman uniforms and were met with silence upon entry. All eyes followed Stephanie, noting her injuries and bruises which were more pronounced this morning. The black eyes, the swollen nose, the steri strips over her forehead wound, the cervical collar, the sling and the bandaged hand, didn't go unnoticed. As we introduced ourselves at the reception counter, confirming we had an appointment with Officer Maxwell, whispers and speculation went on behind us.
Officer Maxwell was welcoming and polite, asking how Stephanie was before opening the door to his office. Then he got down to business. He remarked that her statement reflected what was seen on some dash cam footage submitted by one of the witnesses and general witness reports.
"On another matter, that concerning the "alleged" detective who assaulted you with his verbal abuse and physical rough handling, while interfering with our investigations at the scene of the accident. Do you wish to press charges?"
Stephanie paused and then nodded. "Yes, I do wish to press charges. I want to stop his constant abuse and harassment which hasn't been dealt accordingly at Trenton PD." I squeezed her hand as an acknowledgment that I was proud of her.
"Are you saying this has happened before?" Officer Maxwell asked in surprise, shaking his head in dismay.
"Good. I am not happy to hear that, but I encourage you to hold that stand. Too many times this type of abuse is allowed to go on unreported, or be ignored. It would only enable him. We do not condone this kind of behaviour. I apologise for calling it domestic violence at the scene. I understand from your statement he is not your boyfriend. Regardless, that kind of abuse is most unacceptable. A number of witnesses were angry and astounded with his interference especially when they had witnessed your heroic actions. To be treated that way was deplorable."
"Thank you." Stephanie was humbled by his remarks. She signed the forms, including the charge form.
"Presently, he is getting an official reprimand. The Chief has been in touch with his colleague, as in the Trenton Chief of Police. I understand Detective Morelli is currently under suspension." I raised an eyebrow at that, but really, I wasn't surprised. It's about time they took his aggressive and abusive behaviour more seriously.
The Chief of Morrisville Police came out to greet us as we were getting ready to depart.
"Sir, this is Stephanie Plum. Ms Plum, this is Chief Reynolds."
"Stephanie Plum! I am so pleased and grateful to meet you. You are the one who saved my brother and sister yesterday from that burning wreck on the bridge." The Chief announced with pride, clasping her hand gently. "How are you Ms Plum?"
"I am fine, thank you sir."
Applause came from all the cops inside the station. Wow. An unexpected and unfamiliar reception. Tank and I grinned at her shock.
"Officers Maxwell and Polanski have already been lauding your incredible first responder skills. I can't believe how you were able to manage that on your own. You saved them, my brother and sister, dragging them from a burning car while you suffered these injuries. You are quite a remarkable woman, Ms Plum. My family thanks you, and here is just a small token of our appreciation. Because of your heroics, we can still have our family reunion this coming weekend."
The Chief gave her a large bunch of flowers. Stephanie was quite overcome by his praise, as well as the beautiful flowers. That was an entirely new experience for her. Totally. Officer Maxwell handed her a newspaper, the Morrisville Gazette, with the front page showing the scene of the accident, clearly with the burning vehicles in the background. One of the photos must have come from a dash cam as it showed the deer leaping in front of her car. No doubt about it, the deer were real. There was a close up of Stephanie tending to the rescued driver, and another stunning photo showing her face with her blue eyes blazing, with another of her smiling modestly at Officer Maxwell. It must have been when he was complimenting her while his arm indicated towards the scene. Once again, quite a different reception from the Morrisville media, unlike the Trenton Times. Respect.
"If you will indulge me," he asked for permission, "I would like a couple of photos with you, from our staff photographer. Is that okay with you?" Steph nodded. "I will be nominating you for a bravery award. Not just because of saving my family, but your rapid response, calling emergency with clear concise details and leaving your burning vehicle with your hazard lights on to warn drivers behind you, even before you hit the bridge. By the time people realised the gravity of the situation, you already had it under control when they came to assist. A truly remarkable feat Ms Plum."
Once we were on our way home, Stephanie was quiet for some time, smiling, while admiring her flowers. She looked at me and said, "I have to admit, I was surprised at the fuss the Chief made. I'm not used to that."
"It was all very deserving, Little Girl."
I couldn't agree more. I smiled at her modesty but mostly with pride in her.
"It seems you have become famous in Morrisville just for doing what you do. Your experiences in this job and your amazing resilience have trained you well to cope. You have great instincts, Babe."
"I'm just amazed at the different type of reaction. You know, cars burning on the bridge plus Stephanie Plum equals disaster. It wasn't my fault."
I grinned at her.
"Absolutely not. Regardless, Morelli seems to think so and I wouldn't mind betting that the Trenton Times will report their usual crass and critical spin on it. We know differently. We know better."
"Thanks, Batman."
Stephanie pondered that while Tank drove us back across the Delaware to New Jersey.
"I wonder what Morelli is doing? Is he in a cell?" Tank mused with a grin.
"Oh yes! He was arrested. I totally forgot about that. Pfft. To be honest, I don't give a shit anymore. After all that's happened, I hope they throw the book at him." Stephanie replied.
"Yes. He won't have any of his fanboys there at the Morrisville PD. I wonder how that will go down. The way he was still ranting and raging as they shoved him into the van, he was practically frothing at the mouth. I am curious how many charges he accrued." I chuckled as Stephanie rolled her eyes.
"I've got zero fucks to give that asshole jerk."
Tank laughed out loud, driving the rest of the way with a shit-eating grin on his face.
Ella admired the beautiful flowers, finding a large vase to arrange them in. In the break room she grabbed a coffee and a blueberry muffin. Stephanie explained the wonderful reception at the MPD and how the Chief had praised her skills and heroics in front of the entire station. Some of her Merry Men joined us and expressed how pleased they were that the MPD were able to maintain a genuine perspective on the accident scene.
For a moment, Stephanie was humming a familiar tune, with a faraway look in her eyes. I recognised that simple song about crashing a car into a bridge. How apt. She grinned at me with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Babe? Did you want to share something else? With Hector perhaps?" I grinned in reply.
"Oh. Do you reckon I should? Pfft. Yeah! Why the hell not!"
That's my Babe!
Hector raised an eyebrow. When she opened her phone to reveal the photos his face burst into a huge shit-eating grin.
"Send it to me. You want me to send it to social media, anonymously, without a trail, so everyone can enjoy his "homecoming party" decorations?" When Stephanie nodded, he said, "Leave it to me."
I noticed she was now looking a bit tired.
"Come on, Babe. Time for a little rest. I have some work to do. Did you want to go upstairs?"
"I think this couch will be just fine."
oOo
Sometime later, Binkie called me from the lobby.
"We have a visitor, requesting a meeting with you. He does not have an appointment."
"Morelli?"
"Yes sir."
"I'll come down to the lower conference room. Have him sign in and hand in his weapons. He won't like it. Play it as you like. Make him sign."
I could feel Binkie's smile as I walked over to the monitors watching over Cal's shoulder. I pointed to the lobby and he grinned, recognising my interest. There he was, Detective Morelli, wearing sunglasses, inside. I grinned. I wondered … it's not like it's a day of radiant sunshine and glare. Quite the contrary. Our lighting is not harsh. Cal looked over his shoulder at me as he heard me chuckle as I pointed to the sunglasses. His shit-eating grin and affirmative nods meant he understood.
"Carry on, Cal."
We watched as Binkie handed him the tablet to sign in, with his particulars. Binkie requested his ID confirmation with his police badge and a business card, recording his police ID number on the tablet. He nodded with satisfaction as he handed them back to Morelli. He complied but was frowning still keeping those sunglasses on.
"Is this really necessary?" he asked.
Binkie just nodded as he placed a locked drawer, a visitor's gun safe, on the counter. The look of utter surprise was obvious when Binkie asked for his weapons. Binkie indicated for his other weapons as well, pointing at his ankle and boots. Morelli rolled his eyes which was when he spotted the camera as he scowled. That was easy to pick, despite the sunglasses. He quickly slammed down his cop face, while removing the rest of his weapons and putting them in the gun safe, signing them off on the tablet. Binkie locked it giving him a fob after he locked it into a secure cabinet under the counter. He told him to wait.
"I'll come with you," Tank declared. We took the stairs, not rushing, entering the lobby from the stairwell door. His eyes were on the elevator.
"Is this police business?" Tank asked, cutting to the chase.
"No. It's … er … personal. I'm not acting in an official capacity if that is what you're implying."
Tank nodded, opening the small conference room door from the lobby. I gave a single nod of thanks to Binkie. He smirked briefly returning a nod in reply.
"How can we help you, Morelli?" indicating for him to sit down.
I avoided using officer or detective, although the former was tempting. He said it was personal and not in an official capacity, so we'll keep it informal. He slowly removed his sunglasses, keeping his eyes down. He was visibly embarrassed. It seems he's smarting a pair of black eyes and a bruised cheek. Now that is curious.
"I can't find Stephanie. She's not at my house."
I raised an eyebrow, as did Tank.
"Should she be?"
"Well, yes. She was staying there, while her apartment was undergoing repairs."
We nodded for him to go on.
"I'm worried because someone trashed my house while I was, er, in Morrisville. All her stuff is gone. Everything. It's like she was never there."
"Did you report it?" Tank asked. We both kept our blank faces in tact but the image of the lingerie line was difficult to suppress.
I was maintaining my self-control with his concerned response to his ransacked house. He's clueless. I'll have to fill Tank in on that doozie of a scenario.
Morelli hesitated for a bit, contemplating his answer. "I'm not –," he sighed. "I have an idea what might have caused that. There are a couple of possibilities."
We both raised an eyebrow, but he didn't elaborate. Yeah! Right. A couple or five maybe.
"Why are you telling me?" I asked.
"Stephanie isn't home. All of her things are gone. Her heap of shit car is gone too. I'm afraid she might have been kidnapped, but I don't think so, but it did cross my mind."
He paused before continuing. "I think I sort of fucked up. I hadn't seen her for a couple of days and nights. Work … er … kinda interfered. Well, I now know why I never saw her car … you know, with the bridge crash and all …"
Yeah. Right. Not your usual TPD work, asshole. He's starting to ramble. That's a change. He thinks he fucked up, sort of? Newsflash! You fucked up BIG time moron.
"And? What else?" Tank wanted to cut to the chase.
"She's not at her parents' house. Her mother was no help, already whining about her in that nasty way she always does, especially with the burning vehicles on the front page of the newspaper. You know."
Well, that's the pot calling the kettle black! Neither of us expected that. His concern seems genuine. I could tell that Tank was doing his best not to react to that last remark.
"I even checked the hospital, but they wouldn't say if she was there or not. Besides, since I was not family, I was refused any information."
"That figures," Tank said diplomatically.
"Her apartment is still in the process of repairs so she can't go there. I checked, just in case. The insurance people were slow to complete their report since it is not the first time, as you know, so the repairs were delayed."
We nodded in understanding.
"I checked with Mary Lou, and even the girls at the Bonds Office, none of them has any idea either."
Yeah. You were fucking busy at the Bonds Office, asshole.
"When was the last time you saw her?" I asked.
"Nobody has seen her since … you know, the accident. Earlier this week. That's the last time I saw her, when … she crashed into that bridge truss … when I was arrested."
Oh yes. Arrested while raging and frothing at the mouth. Not a pretty sight.
I wasn't giving away any details. He'd have to ask. We waited as he fidgeted. Morelli is nervous. I wonder what else happened at the TPD? He seems a bit humble. Meh. Still don't trust him. He doesn't have a good track record.
"Is Stephanie here?"
"Yes."
He was visibly relieved, an audible sigh escaping.
"May I see her? Please?"
"No. Not at the moment. Stephanie is sleeping. She suffered a number of injuries, with lingering pain as well. She gets quite fatigued. Do you know the extent of her injuries?"
"Yes. From what was reported by the Morrisville Gazette, they described how serious her injuries were. I didn't realise she was so badly injured. I didn't mean to hurt her shoulder … it was a stupid thing to do."
Ya think? We did not respond to that.
"I understand. I hope she is recovering. I wanted to apologise. You know, I got it all wrong."
We both nodded accordingly. No need to rub it in.
"Did you see local the newspaper reports?" I asked.
"Yes." His shoulders slumped and I detected a look of regret and embarrassment. "I read the report from the Trenton Times. It was … not very helpful. The burning vehicles were their main features, with a typical nasty headline. They somehow … er … misquoted me with some of my comments. The Chief of Police insisted I read the write ups from the Morrisville Gazette. It was a totally different report. I had no idea. How could I get it so wrong? She's amazing."
Finally, he admitted that. Did I detect an element of pride? Misquoted him? Pfft. His rants have been on so many reels on social media, it's pathetic. This time the wider community went wild with it, for once portraying him as the idiot, rather than maligning Stephanie.
"I just assumed …," he twitched uncomfortably, "well, I fucked up, big time. She rescued the older couple in the other car. Robin Russell reamed me a new one and gave me this." He pointed to his face, the left side. "Her uncle and aunt survived the accident, thanks to Stephanie's amazing quick thinking. My … er … interference afterwards was not acceptable. I regret it."
He huffed out a breath. This was not easy for him.
"This eye was from an altercation in the holding cell at Morrisville PD."
Ah. That explains how he has a matching pair. He paused again, contemplating his next words carefully.
"She seems to have blocked my calls. I suppose I can't blame her."
"She needed peace and quiet, especially for her recovery. She suffered a traumatic experience. You are not the only one who has been blocked. But you were the first."
He nodded, accepting that. Once again, he paused and waited for anything that we might offer, but that wasn't going to happen, not without Stephanie's permission.
He looked at his watch. "I have to go. I have an appointment. I may as well tell you because you're bound to hear it anyway," he said with a half shrug. He sighed, muttering "Shit," under his breath. "I have to attend anger management sessions. I have been suspended pending an internal investigation, instigated by the Morrisville PD," he sighed. "The older couple were related to the Morrisville Chief of Police, his brother and sister. Robin Russell is their niece." He sighed, at his own stupidity.
That was a difficult confession to admit, especially to us. He was uncomfortable and embarrassed to admit that to us out loud. He waited a bit longer before a final time check.
"Alright. I'd better go. Thank you for your time. In that case, can you give her this from me. It's a card. Nothing nasty. I'd appreciate it if you handed it to her."
He stood up, handed the envelope from his inside pocket, shrugged his shoulder and made to leave.
"I'll make sure she gets this. Stephanie will read it when she is ready to."
He nodded, accepting that the choice was hers whether to read it, and when. I wasn't making any promises. Not my choice. We saw him out the door of the conference room. Binkie pulled out the gun safe from the locked cabinet, allowing Morelli to use the fob to retrieve his weapons before leaving in a hurry.
"Quelle surprise!" Tank again with his new catch phrase. "Quite the revelations."
I agreed. "I wonder if he has to attend AA as well? It reminds me of their Making Amends part of the Twelve Steps to Recovery Program. He didn't seem to be under the influence on that day. Perhaps he was when they arrested him and registered over the limit."
"Hm," Tank concurred with a scowl. "He was right about one thing: he fucked up, big time."
"Yeah. And he knows it too. But, did you notice? He still didn't ask how she was? Like, how is she now? Other than what was reported in the Morrisville Gazette, he has not realised the extent of her injuries and the consequences. However, he was visibly relieved that she was here. Hm." I frowned and wondered about that.
Time to head back upstairs and check on my Babe. On the way up in the elevator, I showed Tank Stephanie's classic photo of the lingerie line. A quick frown, followed by a flicker of surprise and then curiosity crossed his visage before his eyes went wide. He looked at me for confirmation and back at the photo. I nodded.
"That's Stephanie's handiwork. A woman scorned." I grinned with pride.
"My Little Girl did that?! Holy shit!"
As we arrived at the fifth floor, Tank was still laughing, causing the entire control room to glance his way in shock and surprise. It takes a lot to have Tank laughing so hard.
Shaking his head, he walked to his office, "Remind me never to cross that woman! She's a Keeper!"
That's for sure.
oOoOo
TBC
